Who would have thought that there would be an intense and heated discussion about a game like Pikmin? The cutesy alien-based strategy game has had forums humming about whether or not the latest Pikmin 4 game is, in fact, a reboot, soft reboot, or continuation of the original three games. Of course, people are up in arms about it and, of course, unreasonably angry about it. There are reasons to suggest all three outcomes, but with some research, it is simple enough to work out.
Is Pikmin 4 a reboot?
Yes, Pikmin is a reboot. The opening of Pikmin 4 has Olimar rediscovering the Pikmin, figuring out how everything works again, and exploring the planet for the first time. This implies that Pikmin 4 is, in fact, a reboot of the series rather than the continuation of Pikmin 3.
Image Via Nintendo
In the other sequels, when Olimar crashes on a planet, he simply gets on with finding Pikmin to help him find his way home. In the fourth game, he seems totally oblivious to the little guys and their use. As he makes his way around PNF-404, the planet he has crashed on, his logs suggest that this is the first time he has met the Pikmin, and he is only just working out how to use them. A continuation of the storyline would not have Olimar so confused unless he has suffered some kind of head trauma in the crash landing.
However, there is a huge nine-year gap between Pikmin 3 and Pikmin 4, so the audience has gained a totally different group. Of course, the fans will return, but there will be a lot of new players in the game. Having a reboot like this will introduce a lot of new players to the story, premise, and mechanics. Almost 10 years is a long time to expect players to remember plotlines, and having a reboot will help new players feel more involved in the Pikmin 4 plot rather than feeling like taggers on to the end of a much longer game.
A Pikmin reboot brings in new players and lets returning players enjoy the fun of the beginning again.
